


Arrival

by 305unreal



Series: Campus Housing [1]
Category: Gotham (TV), Merlin (TV), Recess (Cartoon), Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Gen, Roommates, bonding over eyeliner and musicals, casual talk about murder
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-15
Updated: 2020-04-15
Packaged: 2021-03-01 21:02:51
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,610
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23663578
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/305unreal/pseuds/305unreal
Summary: A dozen people with different backgrounds and majors room together at a campus house. How could anything go wrong?
Relationships: Anxiety | Virgil Sanders & Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders, Anxiety | Virgil Sanders & Logic | Logan Sanders, Anxiety | Virgil Sanders & Oswald Cobblepot, Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders & Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Jim Gordon & Edward Nygma, Victor Zsasz & Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Series: Campus Housing [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1702978
Comments: 2
Kudos: 12





	Arrival

Logan Pense is 22, the first of the dozen to arrive at the campus house. He looks at the list he copied over onto his new stationery. He chooses the farthest room on the left side of the second floor (the only floor with bedrooms), silently wondering who will wind up as his roommate as he puts away his jeans, corduroys, and button-down shirts. He unpacks his school supplies – including a hefty supply of erasers and white-out – onto the available desk. He’s an education major and is bound to have a lot of work. He’s just grabbed his laptop when the second housemate walks in through the door.

Arthur Pendragon is 20, and he’d rather study ecology than law like his dad is pressuring him into. He’s already upset he’s late, but it was difficult to find a parking place within walking vicinity of his new temporary house.

“Anyone here?” He calls out, already taking the stairs to the right.

Unwilling to call out in a way that could be damaging to his vocal nodes, Logan simply walks out of his room and into the hall. Arthur doesn’t notice and nabs the farthest room on the right side. He tosses his new tennis shoes on the ground next to the dresser. Inside, he empties his new jeans and athletic gear. He also tosses in pairs of thick socks and tacks up a calendar by the desk.

Merlin Emrys is 19, a chemistry major, and heads to the nearest room: the first room on the right, diagonally opposite from Arthur’s. He offhandedly notices Logan but ignores him for the time being. He piles his rented textbooks on the desk and litters it with highlighters. He tosses his sturdy backpack to the side and unpacks his clothes. Dark colors, layered pieces, and hooded sweatshirts fall in place. With a few brightly colored neckerchiefs in the mix.

18-year-old Virgil Anx and 20-year-old Victor Zsasz are the next to arrive. They just met in the parking lot, and the latter is much more outgoing than the other. They walk into the silent house together. Virgil is a costume design major, and Victor is majoring in sociology.

“What’s up, bitches!?”

“’ Sup?” Arthur calls from his room.

Victor jogs up and joins him, leaving Virgil awkwardly standing in the foyer. Victor nods to Logan and bursts into the room with the light on and the door wide open. He drops his laptop equipment – complete with extra storage drives and the latest tablet – off at the desk and tosses a duffle bag into the closet.

“Hey,” He nods to Arthur, dropping off stencils, fabric markers, and cans on spray paint onto the desk.

“Hey,” Arthur nods back, texting someone on his phone.

“Girlfriend?”

Arthur scoffs. “Sister. Morgana’s been checking in on me all day.”

Roman Prince, also 18, is a musical theater major. He bursts into the house, singing _For the First Time in Forever_. Virgil automatically flinches, and Roman strides over.

“Did I startle thee, Emo Nightmare?”

“Hardly, Sir Sing-a-Lot.”

His eyes brighten. “Ooh! I _like_ that name. Let us find our rooms!”

Roman eagerly grabs Virgil’s arm and drags him up the stairs. Roman calls dibs on the room across from Arthur, but Virgil walks away from the shouting.

“Hi.”

Logan blinks. Everyone else has ignored him so far. “Um, hi.”

“I’m gonna… take the room over here.” He points to the room between Logan’s and the stairs. “Is that okay?”

Logan nods slowly. “I mean, it’s not, I don’t own the place. I’ll be your neighbor. Room neighbor… it’s okay.”

“You’re about as anxious as I am, huh?” Virgil asks, walking into his room.

“I do not do well in social situations.”

The younger boy sets his specially designed notebooks and specialized cartridge pens on his desk. He throws a mix of tops, pants, and underclothes into the dresser, noticing but not commenting on Logan’s subtle gasp. He grabs his favorite choker and walks out with Logan. Roman, meanwhile, has decorated his desk with personalized pencils and notebooks. He’s tacking up some musical posters when Victor and Arthur notice him.

“They made a musical for Macbeth?” Arthur asks excitedly.

“Yeah!” Roman beams. “My high school performed earlier this year, and I played Banquo.”

“Wasn’t he murdered?” Arthur raises an eyebrow.

Roman grabs his laptop with a wild grin. “Yeah! Come check out my wicked death scene!”

The boys join him on the bed to watch.

Downstairs, Edward Nygma, a 19-year-old forensics major, uncomfortably walks into the house moments later. Since neither of his parents wanted him to go to college, it was difficult for him to get a ride. Upon arriving on the second floor, he’s instantly drawn to the left side – away from the loud and violent sounds to the right. The room diagonally from the stairs is still available, and Ed eagerly snatches it up.

To his displeasure, all the rooms seem to have an extra bed, so there will be eleven other people sharing the house. He positions his practical clothes in the dresser. His worn-out Nikes find a home near the claimed bed. He drops his laptop, calculator, rules, and protractors onto the desk, and scoops up his old watch and new iPhone before returning to the foyer. 18-year-olds Taylor Menlo and Randall Weems, and 22-year-old Oswald Cobblepot are the next to arrive.

“Goodbye, Mother! Thank you for the lift!” Menlo calls out.

“Mama’s boy,” Randall grumbles, stalking past them.

Menlo frowns, but Oswald walks over to him. “What’s your major?”

“Computer networking, and you?”

“Criminology.”

Randall, the journalism major, has scaled the stairs and searched for a room. Judging by Logan’s room, it’s for more intelligent types. Virgil’s room is too dark, one room is empty, and Merlin is asleep on his bed. When he sees the boys gathered around one bed and one untouched in the last room, he walks in.

“Hey, fellas. Is this room taken?”

“Half by me. Do you want the other half? These guys are staying across the hall.”

“Tender.”

Randall tacks up a calendar and a map of the world. He drops off a few foreign dictionaries on the desk, as well as notebooks and book covers with animal themes. Throwing open the closet, he tosses in athletic shoes, tee shirts, and jeans, and a dressier look for special occasions. Menlo and Oswald run into Ed in the foyer.

“Have you met anyone?” Menlo asks.

Ed shakes his head, gesturing to two people sitting on a couch in the lounge area. “I was going to, but I didn’t want to be rude.”

Oswald rolls his eyes. “Hey! Necktie and Darkson! Come and meet the green bean!”

Logan and Virgil look down at their apparel before walking over.

“Hello, I am Logan. And this is Virgil.”

“Oh!” The green bean smiles awkwardly. “I’m Ed.”

“My name’s Menlo.”

“And my name is Oswald. Good. We all met each other, and now…” He trails off, staring at Virgil. “Is that Rimmel Scandaleyes eyeliner?”

Virgil blinks at him in shock. “Yeah.”

“Do you have a roommate yet?”

“No.”

“You do now.”

Oswald and Virgil start up the stairs, and Virgil – for once – initiates conversation. “What were you going to do if I had a roommate already?”

“Kill them and take their place in their sleep.”

An unbridled chuckle escapes Virgil’s lung. “Naturally.”

“Huh,” Logan comments, watching them walk away. “I am also in need of a roommate.”

“I’ll take you up on that,” Menlo replies before Ed can think of something to say.

Ed shakes his head and walks to the lounge. Upstairs, Oswald tosses crafts supplies on the shared desk. He hangs a dark mirror by the dresser and places a wastebasket beside the bed. Next door, Menlo organizes multiple binders with color-coded labels, notebooks for individual classes, multi-colored highlighters, pencils, pens, erasers, rulers, and calculators onto the desk, careful not to disturb Logan’s belongings. He plugs in an alarm clock and a CD player, stacking his favorites – Mozart, Erik Satie, and Philip Glass – next to it.

James Gordon is the second-to-last of the dozen to arrive. Looking around, the first thing he notices is the loner on the couch. James is 22 and is majoring in criminal behavior. He walks over to the loner.

“Hey, man.”

Ed jolts. “You’re talking to me?”

“Well, yes. I thought everybody’d be fighting over which roommate they’d get.”

“No one’s asked me.”

“Then I am now. Can I room with you?”

“Serious?” Ed cocks an eyebrow but sees that he’s being genuine. “Okay. Follow me.”

As they pass the foyer, the final member of their party arrives. His name is Patton. He’s majoring in mental health psychology, and he’s the oldest here at 23.

“Hi there, kiddos!”

“Hey,” Jim greets him with a warm smile.

“Hi,” Ed nods, edging toward the stairs.

“Guess I’m late to the party.” He chuckles, allowing Ed to lead the way.

While Ed and Jim go to the far room, Patton stops short at the last open room. Merlin is still asleep, and Patton doesn’t want to wake him. He starts unpacking. Jim dumps his laptop, new notebooks, and dictionary onto the desk that Ed is also occupying. He pulls out patterned scarves, sweaters, and ties – placing them into the dresser. Next door, Patton unloads a 3-ring binder with pocket dividers, folders, and an appointment diary onto the desk. He hangs up his favorite onesies and jackets, dropping his cardigans, jeans, and tops into the necessary drawers in the dresser.

“I should make cookies.”

The single sentence does just what he expected: wake the so-called dreamer. Merlin smiles at him, knowing he’s been caught.

**Author's Note:**

> Recap on the ages and majors:
> 
> 18: musical theater major Roman; computer networking Menlo; journalism major Randall; costume design major Virgil  
> 19: chemistry major Merlin; forensics major Ed  
> 20: sociology major Victor; reluctant law major Arthur  
> 22: education major Logan; criminology major Oswald; criminal behavior major Jim  
> 23: mental health psychology major Patton


End file.
